A River's Journey
"Any river is really the summation of a whole valley. It shapes not only the land but the culture of that valley. To think of any river as nothing but water is to ignore the greater part of it." Hal Borland, Beyond Your Doorstep
The source of many of our nation's rivers can be found high up on the edge of a watershed. Up in the mountains lie underground springs and streams that form from glacial run-off. Also called headwaters, these mountain streams travel downward, carving out deep valleys and creating majestic waterfalls.
Along the way, streams merge with other streams running nearby. A tributary is formed when a smaller stream joins with a larger one. As valleys broaden, our streams and tributaries flow into one another and eventually they form into what we know as a river.
At lower elevations where the land flattens out, rivers will wander and flow slowly through curves and bends. The actual loop that is formed by a curving river is called a meander. The waters of meandering rivers can sometimes wind back and forth for hundreds of miles.
Eventually, all rivers make their way towards a larger body of water. When a river meets with the ocean or another larger river or lake, we call this meeting place the river's mouth. At the mouth of the Mississippi, and other ocean-bound rivers, is an area called the river delta. Here, the river splits into many channels, depositing silt and sediments, before spilling its waters into the ocean.
So we end our journey at the river's mouth, but somewhere a drop of rain is beginning to make its way down the river's ancient path all over again.
